Husband of BBC make-up artist whose body was found in woods is charged with her murder and remanded in custody

Friday 16 May 2008 07:52 BST

Diane Chenery-Wickens went missing in January

The husband of award-winning make-up artist Diane Chenery-Wickens has appeared in court today charged with her murder.

Sussex Police charged David Chenery-Wickens, 51, from Duddleswell, East Sussex, with murder last night after Mrs Chenery-Wickens' remains were found off Worth Lane in the village of Little Horsted, near Uckfield, East Sussex, just before 10am on Thursday.

Chenery-Wickens appeared at Hastings Magistrates Court this morning and was remanded in custody.

A woman walking her dog found Diane's decomposed body off Worth Lane in the village of Little Horsted, near Uckfield, East Sussex - a mile from the model railway where her husband works as a volunteer.

Diane was reported missing by her husband David, a spiritualist vicar, nearly four months ago.

David, who helps out on the Lavender Line railway in Isfield, was arrested a week after he called police to say his wife had disappeared.

He said they both took a train up to London on January 24 and parted at Kensington Olympia station when she went for a meeting at the BBC.

He claimed they had planned to meet later but she did not turn up.

A Sussex police spokesman said in a statement: "The post mortem examination of the body found by police at Little Horsted yesterday morning commenced at about 6pm this evening.

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The scene in Worth Lane, Little Horsted, where a woman's body has been found

"The first person to examine the body was a forensic dentologist who was able to confirm, with the use of dental records, that it is the body of Diane Chenery-Wickens.

"Diane's family have been informed.

"The cause of Diane's death is yet to be established."

Diane won an Emmy for her work on Arabian Nights and got a Bafta nomination for Dead Ringers.

The couple were planning to separate and sell their home in Duddleswell, five miles from where the body was found.

David Chenery-Wickens, pictured on Thursday, was arrested on suspicion of his wife's murder

Timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of Diane Chenery-Wickens

• January 22 2008: The last friend to contact Mrs Chenery-Wickens was a female friend who spoke with her between 5pm and 6pm, Sussex Police said.

• January 24: Mrs Chenery-Wickens is reported missing to the Metropolitan Police by her husband, David, after she fails to attend a meeting at the BBC in London. He tells police that she travelled to the capital with him by train from East Grinstead, West Sussex, and parted in the Shepherd's Bush area with an arrangement to meet later at a hairdresser's.

• January 30: Impressionist Jon Culshaw, who worked with Mrs Chenery-Wickens on Dead Ringers, makes a televised appeal for information. He says: "You just hope that somewhere there is one of those sensible explanations to this."

• January 31: Mrs Chenery-Wickens's husband is arrested on suspicion of her murder and questioned at Eastbourne custody centre.

• February 1: Searches take place near the Chenery-Wickenses' country home in Duddleswell, near Uckfield, involving police dogs. Police are also granted more time to question Mr Chenery-Wickens on suspicion of her murder.

• February 2: Detectives are handed a second 36-hour extension to question Mr Chenery-Wickens.

• February 4: Mr Chenery-Wickens is released on bail pending further inquiries, police announce, as forensic search operations continue in and around the couple's home. Police renew their appeal for information at a news conference. They say CCTV footage trawled so far has failed to locate her.

• February 5: Police acting on "specific information" search part of the 6,500-acre Ashdown Forest on the East Sussex/Kent border.

• February 7: Detectives use the two-week anniversary since she was reported missing to further renew their public appeal for sightings of her. Boards featuring a photograph of Mrs Chenery-Wickens and her blue Audi A4 car are held up near East Grinstead railway station, from where she is reported to have travelled.

• February 13: Mrs Chenery-Wickens' brother, Russell Wickens, tells a news conference their family are bracing themselves for the worst. He says her disappearance is out of character and is causing extreme concern to their retired parents, John and Joan. • February 18: Mr Chenery-Wickens has his police bail extended.

• February 28: Russell Wickens uses Mother's Day to describe how his sister's disappearance is taking a heartbreaking toll on their parents.

• April 30: Mr Chenery-Wickens answers bail in Eastbourne and has it extended further until May 30.

• May 15: A woman walking her dog finds a body hidden in woodland off Worth Lane in the village of Little Horsted, near Uckfield. Examinations take place to determine whether or not it is Mrs Chenery-Wickens.

Later, Mr Chenery-Wickens is rearrested by murder squad detectives.

• May 16: Sussex police confirm the body is that of Mrs Chenery-Wickens